Binding: Unknown Binding
Label: Simon and Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon and Schuster
Number Of Pages: 172
Publication Date: 1956
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Studio: Simon and Schuster

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Editorial Reviews:

This book Will

1 teach the notation of music to those who have never known it before
2 serve as a systematic reminder for those who once knew how to read music but have forgotten most of it
3 serve as a practical classroom text book in the rudiments of music
4 serve as a helpful reference book for the student in music appreciation and related courses

This book Will Not

1 teach you to sing like Tebaldi
2 make you a wizard at the piano or any other instrument
3 turn you into an Irving Berlin or a Beethoven

But it will teach Anyone -- even the tone-deaf -- to read melodies and pick them out on the piano

Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: i don't get it...
Comment: i don't get it... all these glowing reviews and i just can't get through this book for anything! i think the cover states that anyone can read through this book in an evening... something like that. well, maybe i have adult adhd because i couldn't stay interested. it served me best as a prelude to sleep.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Simply Great
Comment: I already had a very simple understanding of music theory, so some of this stuff I skimmed over, but within the first few pages I learned things that immediately opened my eyes and my mouth in amazement. I found myself several times saying aloud, "So that's what that means!" I was ready to give up on singing in my church choir, but now I feel much more confident and am ready to resume with more vigor.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Learning notation
Comment: This product helped me to identify and read musical notes in the simplest form. I have learned to identify a whole note from a half and quarter notes,etc.This product is good to have if your serious in your quest to learn how to read musical notations.

Customer Rating:

Summary: A nice review for those returning to the piano
Comment: This is an interesting, complex, detailed, authoritative, little book that promises 1. In two hours you can read it through and understand the principles involved in reading music and 2. In an evening you can learn to read practically any melody and pick it out on the piano. Amazingly, 1. and 2. worked for me. What worked for me might also work for you. Why not give it a try? Howard Shanet, the author, is more than qualified to teach music as he was a professor of music at Columbia and the conductor of that university's orchestra. But more than music, he knows the ropes through years of experience teaching this subject and actually makes learning easy and fun. In part I, he deals with the all-important and often neglected topic of rhythm and in part II, the important elements of pitch. It all boils down to when to play and what to play. Right? In parts III, IV, & V he puts rhythm and pitch together and introduces the elements of tonality. Along the way, we get brief asides on music history that help fix our memory. Since he explained the bass clef, I shall never forget where it came from and why in shows where F is on the written sheet. Can you guess why ¾ time was considered the perfect time in the middle ages? Something to do with the trinity? You bet. For better results, you should do as I did: work the problems and exercises with a piano so that you can see, feel, and hear what the text is talking about. Actually touching the keys makes all the difference and works lots better than the author's suggested tapping and singing. Despite some key signatures that are blurred and poorly printed, and two mistakes in the answer key on page 169, and the failure to give out the quick and dirty secret for reading any key signature (explained in Piano for Dummies)+, this little gem of a book is highly recommended for novices who need to learn the basics and previously experienced people who need to refresh their memories after a long absence from the keyboard. Also suggested: Paul Hindemith's Elementary Training for Musicians and Blake Neely's Piano for Dummies.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Excellent teaching tool
Comment: This book was a well thought out approach for learning to read music for the absolute novice. I used the approach with great succcess in teaching my church choir to read music quickly. I highly recommend it!

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